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The present invention relates to rotating device platforms, and in particular, to improved features for rotatable, titltable camera positioning systems.
Many configurations are known in the art for rotating and tilting a movable camera. Typical devices for moving a camera include pan and tilt devices and dome drive devices. Both pan and tilt devices and dome drive devices operate to accept control signals to move a camera to view a desired location. The prior art devices are comprised of a complex assembly of multiple parts which require great expenditures of labor for construction. In such arrangements, multiple parts lead to inefficiencies in assembly as well as failure during operation.
During the operation of the rotating camera it is necessary to provide an electrical connection between a stationary base component and a rotating base component of the camera in order to send and receive electrical signals from components within the rotating base component, such as tilt motors, focus motors and zoom motors, and to relay electrical signals from the camera back to the stationary base. Prior art systems and methods of constructing a flexible, rotatable, electrical connection between the stationary and rotatable components of a camera typically use sliding electrical contacts or integral slip rings as are known in the art.
A typical prior art rotating camera base uses a slip ring component typically configured with wiring harnesses attached to a first end and a second end of the slip ring component. The use of such wiring harnesses creates several attendant disadvantages. The use of extended wires in a sensitive electrical system creates electrical noise interference due to the electromagnetic fields created through the wires. In such a situation it becomes necessary to insulate or shield the electrical wires to reduce the electromagnetic field produced thereby. One such method of insulation of shielding is to use ferrite beads to break the magnetic field and thereby reduce electromagnetic current interference with other electrical systems within the components. The manufacture and installation of multiple wiring harnesses using multiple ferrite beads results in increased materials expenses, as well as increased labor expenses. Further, the use of insulation and shielding is an inadequate solution to the problem of electrical interference.
Other prior art rotating camera systems use a multiple fastener technique to attach the slip ring component to the stationary component. This increases both material costs and assembly costs while further complicating assembly and repair of the unit. For example, a typical prior art device consists of at least six discrete components: a slip ring, at least one ferrite bead, three connectors, and various hardware components.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method of communicating electrical signals from a stationary base to a rotational portion of a moveable camera which overcomes the attendant disadvantages present in the prior art.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for minimizing component wear in a rotational camera and maintaining electrical connections between a rotating camera base and a fixed base. The invention comprises a slip ring assembly that advantageously couples the rotational portion of the camera to the stationary portion. One portion of the assembly remains fixed within the stationary base of the camera during rotation, while another portion freely rotates within the rotational section of the camera. By eliminating the rotation of one portion of the assembly, less wear occurs and wiring is less likely to become tangled within the camera.
According to one aspect of the invention, a slip ring assembly is provided for use in a rotating device platform. The camera includes a movable portion and a stationary portion. The assembly includes a housing, the housing having a body with a longitudinal axis, a top end region and a bottom end region, the top end region of the housing having a rotating portion rotationally coupled to the revolving portion of a rotating camera. The second end region is affixed to the stationary portion of the camera, wherein the rotational portion of the housing and the second end region of the housing rotate with respect each other.
According to another aspect of the invention, a rotating camera system is provided, which includes a stationary base, a rotating portion rotatably affixed to the stationary base, a motor for controlling the rotational movement of the camera, and a slip ring assembly. The slip ring assembly includes a housing, the housing having a body with a longitudinal axis, a top end region and a bottom end region, the top end region of the housing having a rotating portion rotationally coupled to the revolving portion of a rotating camera. The second end region is affixed to the stationary portion of the camera, wherein the rotational portion of the housing and the second end region of the housing rotate with respect each other. The rotating portion further includes electrical connectors thereon. The housing includes a stationary portion affixed to the stationary portion of the camera, the stationary portion having electrical connectors thereon, wherein the rotating portion and the stationary portion of the housing rotate with respect each other. The housing may further include a mounting flange for supporting the housing. The mounting flange includes an orifice to allow the top end and the bottom end of the housing to protrude therethrough. The top, rotating portion of the housing is rotatable with
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for minimizing frictional wear on components of a rotating camera system is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a housing having a longitudinal axis, the housing having a rotational component and a fixed component, coupling the rotational component to a rotating portion of a camera, and coupling the fixed component to the stationary portion of the camera, wherein the rotational component and the fixed component rotate with respect each other.